Tao Yongming has been given a one-hour time penalty by the FIA after running into the back of Pau Navarro during Stage 2 while trying to pass him.

Tao, making his Dakar Rally debut in a JJ3 T1+, was approaching the slower Taurus of Navarro between KMs 270 and 290. The former then bumped into the latter’s rear, causing damage to Navarro’s car that subsequently forced him to retire after ten kilometers of driving.

Navarro reported the matter, saying Tao didn’t signal his intent to pass via the Sentinel system. Tao in turn asserted he had done so “several times during the stage” including when trying to overtake Navarro, and had even stopped to check whether Navarro could keep going after the contact.

The FIA stewards reviewed the data from ERTF and found Tao’s Sentinel was never activated on Tuesday and was fully functioning.

“It is indeed surprising that this appears to be the case while the system is functioning correctly: reception, collision warning, automatic alarms, etc.,” noted ERTF. “It is as if the competitors did not press the button to request an overtaking manoeuvre.”

Rally raid relies on driver courtesy for passing. If a car is clearly faster than the one in front, especially in this case since Navarro and Tao are in different classes, the driver at the back has to notify who they want to overtake so the latter can safely yield. Desert racing does permit bumping if absolutely necessary, a concept known as “nerfing”, but otherwise advises communication to avoid damage.

Tao is currently 28th in Ultimate after four stages.

As with other verdicts handed down, the FIA stewards for this case consisted of chief Jan Seinen, Alqassim Hamidaddin from the FIA, and Saleh Alem from the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation.

Featured image credit: Superman的汽车生活